Reliability and validity of the Mandarin version of the Head and Neck Cancer-specific Supportive Care Needs (SCNS-HNC) scale
Abstract Background: This study aimed to translate the English version of the supportive care needs scale of head and neck cancer patients (SCNS-HNC) questionnaire into Mandarin and to test its reliability and validity.Methods: The Mandarin version of the Supportive Care Needs Survey Short-Form (SCNS-SF34) and SCNS-HNC scales were used to assess 206 patients with head and neck cancer in Chengdu, China. Among them, 51 patients were re-tested 2 or 3 days after the first survey. The internal consistency of the scale was evaluated by Cronbach's alpha coefficient, the retest reliability of the scale was evaluated by retest correlation coefficient r, the structural validity of the scale was evaluated by exploratory factor analysis, and the ceiling and floor effects of the scale were evaluated.Results: The Mandarin version of the SCNS-HNC had Cronbach's alpha coefficients greater than 0.700 (0.737 ≤ 0.962) for all of the domains. Except for the psychological demand dimension (r=0.674) of the SCNS-SF34 scale, the retest reliability of the other domains was greater than 0.8. Three common factors were extracted by exploratory factor analysis, and the cumulative variance contribution rate was 64.39%. Conclusions: The Mandarin version of the SCNS-HNC demonstrated satisfactory reliability and validity and is able to measure the supportive care needs of Chinese patients with head and neck cancer.Clinical registration number: ChiCTR1900026635